


Letters to Ludwig

by orphan_account



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, canonverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 03:57:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2567372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of letters to Germany; written and unwritten, sent and unsent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Are Young

**Author's Note:**

> An unwritten, unsent letter to Germany, from North Italy. Can be interpreted as GerIta if you so wish. Focused on the true fact that even if he is Holy Rome, Ludwig is much, much younger than Feliciano.
> 
> Short and slightly out of character, but everyone gets all meta sometimes, which is what's supposed to be happening here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feliciano knows how old Ludwig is. These are his thoughts on the matter.

You are young, and yet so many think that you are the older of us two. And I am old, but you wouldn't know it if you saw me, not even if you met me and spoke to me. Especially not then.

You see, Ludwig, when people like us are young, we are still unable to hide our age and pain beneath some sort of facade. As we get older, we learn to live and let live, and bury the past. Perhaps not the best solution, but when you live as long as we do, putting the past behind you is what keeps you sane. 

Some of us don't learn quite so easily. Or they have a harder time with it. Like Russia, if you're looking for an obvious example. I know England definitely has a hard time burying the hatchet, but that's Arthur for you. It may surprise you, but I've had my own share of hard times when it comes to hiding how different I am, as a Nation, from normal people. It was worse when I was younger, but sometimes I still forget and say something weird, or act strange. I don't think you've really noticed, but that's probably because you are so young.

In a way, the honesty of your youth is refreshing. You have not yet learned to hide your every thought, to trust no one but yourself. I like that about you, because it helps me to remember that time has moved on, and familial back-stabbing isn't very common anymore. You were not born of struggle and war and the need to survive. You were born of diplomacy and politics, unlike so many others your age, those who were born of genocide and colonization and a race to see who can conquer the most first. You were born of uniting forces, bringing the many together under one flag, one cause, a shared political interest. You have barely known the constant bloodshed and lies of older Europe, and yet in your blood runs the lessons we learned from those times. You bridge the gap between two eras, and you have done a marvelous job of it. 

You are young, Ludwig, and because of this, it is both easier and harder to tell how different you are. Your youth shows how human-like you still are, still free from the burden of many centuries. But yet it also shows your relative inexperience in hiding how inhuman you are, as a nation. Because no matter how human like you still seen, you are, and always will be, different. As time passes and you grow older, you will come to know just which parts of your inhumanity you can let show through at any given time. Never forget that you are not human, but never abandon the parts of you that are. 

You are young Ludwig, and it makes me feel so old sometimes, when we are together. I know that you have grown into adulthood and know what you are doing, but sometimes it makes me pause. I remember how old I am- old enough that were I several hundred years younger, my age would be the same as the years. But then I remember that most of that was spent in the mind and body of a child, so who am I to speak of age and adulthood? Immortality does funny things to how you perceive age, Ludwig, it makes you see adults as children, and also disregard age entirely. You have to be careful Ludwig, otherwise you might make people very upset, and no one wants that.

But I am not known for my skills of perception and logic, so maybe you should form your own opinions about this kind of stuff. I don't really know anymore Ludwig. Maybe my knowledge is too old for this new age, maybe what you know is what works for this time. The only thing I know will never change is the fact that you can't forget that you are a nation, and that makes you both human and not-human at the same time.


	2. This is What I Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prussia has some things to say before he goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set just after the events of 1947, but before the formation of East Germany and the GDR. Prussia has some wisdom to pass on to his brother, and you can guess the direction it goes from there. Written (because it's Prussia), and left where Ludwig could find it. Short and angsty.

This is what I know:

One; we lost the war.

Two; we were pretty much the bad guys.

Three; if I find a way to survive this, I will be surprised.

Four; I was right about not trusting Austrians.

Five; we flew too close to the sun.

Six; my time is done. Even if I survive, this world is not the one I was meant to thrive in.

Seven; your time begins now.

Eight; whatever happens, don't dwell on the past. Learn from it, but do not let it define you. 

Nine; never trust a man who claims that one type of person is better than any other. No one man is superior- don't listen to me and my boasting, I'm never actually serious.

Ten; turns out that old saying 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' was true. A man with good intentions can still do evil.

Eleven; you should make friends with that America kid. Sure you just lost a war with him, but he's a good kid at heart, still learning. Grew up too fast. Kinda like you.

Twelve; change is what you need to survive. If you don't change, sooner or later you'll find yourself in the wrong. 

Thirteen; accept that you lost, and that we were in the wrong, but do not let that take away your pride.

Fourteen; good things can come from war.

Fifteen; the above includes lessons. About what? Just about everything, but mostly that there is no wrong or right in anything.

Sixteen; remember how I how I said that we were in the wrong in this war? We did some really fucked up shit, so I can say that we were definitely in the wrong. Even though right and wrong don't really exist as black and white, we were definitely way on the wrong side of this war.

Seventeen; that bitter resent you feel that we lost? It's just the feeling of surrender. You'll get over it.

Eighteen; we were basically brainwashed. We couldn't have known what he was planning. 

Nineteen; fighting for your country is honorable. Fighting for it even though you don't agree with why you are fighting is hard to categorize as dishonorable or honorable or whatever. That doesn't mean that you should ever feel bad for defending your country.

Twenty; just because you love your country doesn't mean that you should defend all of its actions. As a nation, you do what is best for the people. Many times, this means going against the government. That is not a wrong action.

Twenty-one; every rule must be broken before you can say that it should always be followed. 

Twenty- two; you aren't going to listen to the thing above, you muscle-bound stick in the mud.

Twenty-three; I love a good fight far too much for my own good.

Twenty-four; we were hurting, and he was insanely charismatic and well meaning for such a sick bastard. We can not be blamed for believing him in our desperation.

Twenty-five; they will probably imply that we can be blamed, but they named him man of the year. Holding that over their heads will shut them up really fast.

Twenty-six; I don't blame anyone for what side they ended up on. They were just trying to protect their people. Also, politics. 

Twenty-seven; Italy Veneziano really likes you. He might not look it, but he's really good at adapting, and you could learn from that.

Twenty-eight; also, he's a nasty little shit when he wants to be, and making friends with him is a good idea.

Twenty-nine; don't make friends with people just because they're smart or good at fighting it whatever. Little Veneziano is really silly and cute, too. 

Thirty; no matter what happens, the world will keep spinning.

Thirty-one; always stand strong and proud. 

Thirty-two; don't let stupid shit like war effect a friendship. 

Thirty-three; keeping records of the present is a really good idea. We watch history being made, and sometimes what we remember is what gets glossed over in the history books. That's usually what's important. 

Thirty-four; you are a good kid.

Thirty-five; if (when, who am I kidding) I die, you get all my stuff.

Thirty-six; that includes my diaries. 

Thirty-seven; Nations should be more publicly known. 

Thirty-eight; they are going to drag my name and Fritz's name through the mud.

Thirty-nine; if you let them make Fritz out as some sort of Nazi forefather I will come back to haunt you.

Fourty; don't invade Russia in the winter. Seriously, don't.

Fourty-one; Poland is one nasty, persistent little bugger. We owe him an apology, and you should tell him so next time you see him. Be sure to include me in that, too.

Fourty-two; never trust Russia's reasons for doing anything. He's a crazy motherfucker.

Fourty-three; if you don't take care of my bird, I will come back to haunt you.

Fourty-four; you've probably guessed it by now, but I am most likely going to die. It'll probably happen within a year, at the rate they're getting rid of all my stuff.

Fourty-five; I was probably a shit brother.

Fourty-six; this is turning into less and less of an advice list and more and more of my last letter to you.

Fourty-seven; don't forget to relax every now and then. 

Fourty-eight; a little chaos is good for you.

Fourty-nine; if you want to talk to someone about me, I recommend France or Spain. I guess Austria and Hungary would be good if you want to hear what I was like as a kid, though take anything they say with a grain of salt. They hate me.

Fifty; I don't want to die.


End file.
